ThreeDawg
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Voice of the Wastes
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Post by ThreeDawg on Apr 8, 2015 10:32:25 GMT -5
The Sith Empire...
Once, that name would cast a shadow of fear over entire populations. It was an omen. To some, it meant Death, Fear, Enslavement, Destruction. Yet it had fallen out of memory, lost to the annals of time. Few who knew what a 'Sith' was would say they were all gone, dead long ago. To those who knew what the 'much-beloved' Emperor Palpantine truly was, they would say the Sith died at Endor - their last remnants broken and shattered upon the forest moon.
"Yet here we stand."
The owner of the voice stood at a viewing window, overlooking a distant sun. Few planets could be made out at this distance, most notable a large red-hued gas giant. Their destination. Long ago a place of Sith research, one of the last holdouts of the True Sith kind. Now home to a pack of Republic rats, scurrying across its surface with little thought of what lay beneath their feet. They poked in ruins that they held no claim over, awoke dangerous beasts that they could barely contain. For what? Science? Historical documentation? The scum could hardly comprehend what they uncovered, it was time for the Sith to take it back.
Malrius. Lord Malrius. He had earned that title in blood and anger. Passion for power had guided him to use his fear and hatred to kill his master, now that same lust for knowledge had led him - and the Reclaimation Fleet he served - on its first true conquest. A young blue-skinned Chiss stood next to him, one of his apprentices. She wore a dark robe, open at the front revealing a set of form-fitting Plastoid armour and with a hood hiding her long midnight-blue hair. She held out her wrist for her master, and a small blue figure appeared over a device on her arm.
The image flickered as it spoke, "Lord Malrius," it began in a condescending tone that the Sith would only accept from a superior. This specific superior? Darth Treykata, once a Prophet - now a leader of the Reclaimation Fleet. "Welcome to the Yavin system. I trust you are ready to give the Republic their surprise? After all, we missed 'Life Day'." The name of that holiday brought a snarl from Malrius, such a pathetic thing to celebrate. Life was a given, why bother celebrating it being there when there's enough around to just use it.
"Yes, my Master, I have it all under control." Malrius wasn't one to be bothered with this kind of holocall, he'd much rather he spend the time getting it over and done with.
The hologram seemed to consider Malrius for a moment, crossing its arms in thought. "Indeed. I'm sure you do. I have forwarded a revised version of the plan to your Chiss apprentice, do make sure you give it a read. Oh and Malrius? Keep your communicator on, I shouldn't need to go through your pets to contact you." The blue figure flickered one last time before dissipating.
The Chiss looked up to her Master, lowering her arm in the process and handing him the datapad. "It came through during the call, it seems Treykata wants to kill us."
Malrius snatched the datapad from her hand, glaring down at the screen as he scanned for revisions to his much thought out plans. "Nonsense," Malrius idly mumbled, "if we failed this task, our invasion of Yavin could fail. He wishes to test us."
The Phantom Pain lay docked in the belly of the Gage-class Dreadnaught "Dromund's Fist". Imperial engineers busied themselves around it, checking this and that. Or moving cargo into the underslung 'garage' bay. This was happening all across the ship, where similar Phantom-class ships were being prepared for launch. TIE-squadrons, inferior as they are to Sith vessels, were also being prepared for launch.
Four of the Sith Lord's five apprentices were already on board, the Miraluka Neeyab was running pre-flight checks in the cockpit. She wore simpler robes, a dark brown and grey affair. She lacked armour, bar a thin breastplate. Her hair hung low in a bob, covering the ornate mask that hid her eye-less sockets. It was a mask her Master had granted her, one of the few 'gifts' he had given to the Apprentice. It was red and gold, although the gold pattern was designed on ancient Sith tattoos - it gave the otherwise peaceful colours a certain intimidation. An Imperial Officer stood beside her. "Are you sure this vessel is ready, m'am?" Neeyab flinched at the honorofic, being so unused to the title. On the Phantom Pain, she was the lowest of the pack. They thought her a weak, pitiful fool - and she believed them. She was just here to fly the ship and serve her Master. Yet the Imperials thought her above them, it was confusing.
"All the readings say so. She'll be safe as long as she's in my hands." Neeyab replied. She didn't mean to sound egotistical, but in truth she had been flying ships for... Well a very long time. The Phantom Pain was just another to add to that list. A strange one with archaic controls, but nothing she couldn't learn to handle. "Are your men ready?" she inquired back to him.
The officer straightened up, as if ready for inspection himself. Neeyab suppressed a smile at his attitude. "All twelve troopers are fully equipped and awaiting the inspection of our Lord."
'Our Lord' had just arrived. From the cockpit she could see Malrius leaving an elevator, the Chiss Tayla trailing behind him. His shadow, like she always was. Always following him, always pandering to him. The other apprentices treated Neeyab like a pet, but if anyone was really the pet it was Tayla. If only Tayla knew how much Malrius invested into Meeyab... She'd get a little jealous.
That smile, she couldn't supress.
Malrius' speedy march echoed throughout the flooring. He was impantient. This plan had long been in the making, it was time to further the Sith goals - his goals - and it seemed like only time itself stood in his way. Tayl'ance barely kept up. He slowed as he approached the selection of Troopers near his ship. Two rows of six impressive men, and a couple of women he noticed, stood at attention for him. It was good to have power. They were all fine examples of Humanity, exceptional Troopers that had served the Sith on Korriban - trained by veteren Stormtroopers of the Old Empire and bloodied in the harsh, desolate, planet they were stationed on. Fighting Teretatek and Wraid had sent many of them mad, but these few who remained had embraced the Dark Side - worthy of calling themselves elite Sith Troopers, literal Shadow Warriors. Their black armour was spotless, their weapons fierce and intimidating. Malrius was proud to have these pawns serve as his weapon in the assault. He gave them a slight smile, a rare thing from a Sith, and even though the motion made many of the Troopers tense - a reflective move, no doubt - it seemed to lighten their collective mood. A happy pet was a loyal pet.
Their commanding officer came down the rear gangway to meat him. "I trust you've readied my ship, Lieutenant. We're in a hurry, here." Malrius said, to which the Lieutenant gave a sharp salute.
"Indeed, my Lord! Your Miraluka Apprentice assures me that we are ready for departure." The Lieutenant stepped aside from the gangway, giving Malrius passage. Tayla went up first, leaving her Master alone with the troops and their officer.
"I have had my apprentice forward you revised details of the attack, distribute them to your Troops and ensure they are ready to win this assault for their Emperor or die for their failure. Is that clear, Lieutenant?" Malrius spoke harshly, with a sadistic grin. He enjoyed making the officers squirm, it tended to make them keener to win - if anyones head was first on the pike it would be his. Malrius didn't wait for a response, instead moving up the gangway and into the ship.
It was pristine, how he liked it. The surfaces shone, the quiet hum of the engines put him at ease. This was his home, he could think clearly here - unclouded by the mists of anger that lesser beings brought forth. This was a place for Sith.
He made his way to the central room, his 'Grand Hall' as he liked to think. The holo projector in the middle displayed a detailed map of Yavin's fourth moon. Their target. He pressed a button, and communications opened up with the rest of the ship. "Fellow Sith, come forth. My Apprentices, it is time you learnt how to take a planet for your Emperor - for me." He sounded proud, ruthlessly so. It was clear nothing would get in their way, lest they pay the consequences for trying.
Tayla was already present, Meyab soon appeared from the cockpit - the closest part of the ship. He was expecting his other apprentices, Mako, Kairon and Nekar. They were also carrying a passanger, an unusual request from his Darth - another Lord. Not a direct rival, rather an old acquaintance - Malrius had met the Arconan once before on Korriban. He wasn't easy to miss, being one of the few Arcona taken into the Sith Order. They were both Initiates back then, Malrius had been struggling with a rather large and vicious Wraid - thankfully the Arconan had been in the area, and even more strangely had been willing to help. That they were both now told to work alongside each other, by different Darths, was a strange coincidence.
Malrius didn't believe in coincidences.
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Salvahkiin
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My Siren's name is Brick, and she is the prettiest.
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Post by Salvahkiin on Apr 8, 2015 17:06:32 GMT -5
Mako Keppora. Mako had been Malrius' first apprentice, perhaps even before Malrius was a Lord himself. Mako had served his Lord faithfully for six years, it was a good six years. Mako boarded the Phantom Pain some time before his Lord, and made his way to the Apprentice room. Five apprentices to one room, it was rather packed.
Mako sat on his bed, and laid down, waiting for his Master's summons. He thought of a many few things, things that were unclear in his head. What would his Lord say when asked the question that was plaguing Mako's mind. Darth Argilax was also on his mind. The Darth that Mako was quite sure is his father.
"Fellow Sith, come forth. My Apprentices, it is time you learnt how to take a planet for your Emperor - for me."
Mako nearly flew out of his bed, and almost ran to the central room. He stood next to his master, and bowed his head. He oushed his thoughts of earlier to the back of his mind. He had to have a clear mind for what they're going to do.
"My Master."
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Post by Zenios on Apr 8, 2015 17:46:03 GMT -5
Malrius' second apprentice, the Echani, sat cross-legged atop one of the upper bunks in the Phantom Pain's sleeping quarters, his favored lightsaber half-disassembled in the air before him. This was his style of meditation, and to perform it before anything significant such as this was his wont. He certainly wasn't nervous; to say the purpose of his meditation was to calm him or empty his mind was pretty far from true. If anything, the opposite was: he sought to dial himself in, to hone his emotions into as much a weapon as the quite recently sharpened vibroblade at the small of his back. He was excited for this; it was what he'd trained for, it was what he lived for, and it was finally here.
But that excitement was hardly the kind of emotion a Sith such as he should have sought. It was weaker than baser things such as rage or passion, a lesser form of the purer emotions--and thus it simply wouldn't do. So he attempted to erase it from his mind, to replace it with that steady combination of anger and distaste bordering on full hate he felt at his strongest with. It was easy; that mental state was one he sunk into quite easily, once he began to approach it. He certainly didn't exude as much emotion as that detestable akk dog Mako did; he expressed his emotions much more subtly, in a manner more subdued--until one prodded at the embers.
Another moment or two passed before Kairon fully achieved his preferred mental state, but as soon as he'd zeroed in on that, the pieces of his lightsaber began reassembling themselves like the good little bits of machinery they were. That took another few seconds, and the Echani was careful to telekinetically clip it to his belt as soon as he was done.
The apprentice was getting tired of sitting around anyway, so he decided to reach out mentally to try and locate Lord Malrius. His timing was just a hair shy of perfect, it seemed: he hadn't quite located the Lord among all of the presences aboard Dromund's Fist when he heard the man's voice over the intercom, instead. He didn't pay enough attention to the words spoken to know what they were: he didn't have to. Instead, he reached for the mask near his right knee, rolled it around in his gauntleted hands and stared into its eyeholes briefly. It was angry, metallic, painted to further emphasize its lines and curves. The thing really looked more like a death mask than something one would expect the living to wear, which meant it was just perfect. The Echani took a last breath before slipping it on, then glanced to his left as something caught his eye. He didn't catch the face, but he immediately knew it was Mako - his movements, the lack of lekku, and the fact that he practically ran to their master's side all gave that away.
That meant that Nek'arado--or the nek, as Kairon preferred to think of him--wouldn't be far behind. He resolved to answer their master's summons at least before the nek did, so he hopped out of the recessed bunk and landed nimbly on his feet just a split second before Nek. Kairon allowed his red-trimmed cloak to billow out behind him as he strode out into the Phantom Pain's central area, taking some small amusement in the fact that it might trip up or obstruct Nek. He did pull his hood up, though, concealing his identity further and bringing his masked visage even closer to looking like that of the Sith of old.
Mako, the Chiss, the Miraluka, and of course Malrius were already gathered around the holoprojector. Nek, somewhat surprisingly, didn't hurry around Kairon and towards Malrius, so that he could begin licking their Lord's boots as it seemed Mako already was. Instead, he stayed with the Echani and stood near him, opposite Malrius. He simply inclined his head briefly to Malrius as he came to a stop, awaiting instruction--awaiting direction. "Lord Malrius."
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Post by Court Baron Butters on Apr 8, 2015 19:25:01 GMT -5
"Company."
A word echoed in the congestive cockpit of Crii's Lone-scout tie fighter, the small ship was nestled within the greater recesses of Dromund's fist. The lone Arconan felt peace, and an ease within his pod. He was sitting motionless, playing around with nobs, and switches within the cockpit by use of the force merely out of boredom.
Which is why it was so lovely that Crii was invited upon this ship, and permitted to participate in the invasion, and annexation of a small moon, it had been so long since the Sith had flexed their muscle, and Crii was happy to help the movement.
And what a pleasantry it was that he would be working alongside an acquaintance of his from long ago, a Sith lord he hadn't seen in what seemed like centuries, such a visit was uncommon in the Sith community, but was so Crii. From a young age he has always been the compassionate odd-one-out on Korriban, but it was beginning to look like that mentality may change - and it WOULD if Crii had anything to say about it -
After only a few moments, the Arconan popped out of his shuttle, and began making his way towards the Phantom Pain, within the bowels of the larger Dromunds fist. Crii was not much for these mechanical giants, and got along without excess within his smaller more humble vessel. He passed by a triad of troopers, and one accidentally bumped into him while the trooper wasn't looking. The disgruntled soldier dropped his sidearm, and slid towards Crii's feet. The group of troopers looked towards the Sith, terrified of what was to happen next. Crii smiled, and hid both of his hands in his cloaks sleeves, he lifted the small rifle up towards the trooper, and then spoke. "Excuse me, this is yours." The trooper sighed in relief, and snatched the weapon out of the air. Crii spoke up again, "On your way then." The troops saluted the Arcona, and then ran in the opposite direction.
His strides eventually led him to the corridor of the Phantom Pain, he walked into the main hall of the ship, and noted Malrius, and his entourage. He made his way towards the group, his cloak was opened, and exposed the dark black undergarb, he was wearing. Unlike most of the other Sith on board Crii liked to keep his down, he was proud that he was so distinct among the legions of humans on this ship, and wanted to show that.
Crii approached Malrius, and gave him a smile. "It's good to see you friend, it has been a long time hasn't it?" He reached out to put a hand on the Sith lords shoulder, hoping for acceptance, "It seems like we're never in contact anymore."
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ThreeDawg
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Voice of the Wastes
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Post by ThreeDawg on Apr 10, 2015 16:06:13 GMT -5
His apprentices gathered, and his chest swelled with pride at the sight. All of them were battle ready, each a sign of the glorious future of the Sith. Mako, the Apprentice that would bring death to his enemies. Kairon, the Apprentice that knew best the Game of Sith. Tayla, the Apprentice who best played others to her tune. Nekar, the Apprentice that proved Sith could lead their lessers with pride. Neeyab, the Apprentice who was truly the future of the Sith, she was Malrius' first true conquest. A sign of things to come, all of them.
Then came Crii. The Arcona walked through the door and - Malrius remembered - he was a strange one. He was soft speaking, gentle - friendly. Malrius couldn't remember a Sith who was ever friendly and survived the academy. Yet here was Crii. He didn't want to look weak before his apprentices, but to shy away from the strange embrace of the Arconan's hand would look weaker than to accept it. His apprentices had to learn, sometimes it was best to court favour with a potential ally than cast yourself alone to the stars.
"Old friend, indeed it has been too long." He replied, a smile parting his pale visage. He moved his hand from the table, patting the Arconan's arm. "We were just about to discuss the plans I have been forwarded." He turned to his apprentice, and the softness in his voice became a harsh stone with which to grind these pathetic worms upon. "My Apprentices. It is time to claim your destiny." With a wave of his hand, the holoprojector embedded into the table sprung into action. Before them was a great planet, with smaller moons rotating around it. It zoomed forward, following the trajectory that would be taken by the Dromund's Fist. "This task has fallen to our feet, my apprentices, for we are the best the Sith have to offer. Let all know of your actions this day, for this will be the turning point of the Galaxy. This, is Yavin-4. You may know its recent history amongst the Lesser Empire and the Rebellious scum that broke its back. But, my apprentices, Yavin was once part of the Sith Empire of Old."
Images flashed onto the holoprojector, great temples that rivaled those on Korriban and Dromund Kaas. "Untapped potential lies within. Secrets that have not been exploited since the days of Darth Bane and his bastardised Rule of Two." Malrius snarled at the name, a powerful Sith who diluted the Order to suit his own goals. "This is our goal, the goal of the Sith. With the secrets hidden beneath these ruins we will free the Galaxy of its chains!"
He raised a fist in mock triumph, and in response the Hologram shifted to show the basic blueprints of a Republic Communications Array - the large dish a major give away. Malrius dropped his fist onto the table, the harsh crash causing the hologram to stutter. "This is our target, my Apprentices. We will blind the Republic scum that hold this planet captive, deafen their ears and silence their cries when the Reclaimation Fleet catches up to finish the job we begin!"
The hologram zoomed out from the compound, showing a dotted-line trajectory that the Phantom Pain would follow. "Using the Pain's stealth engines, we are going to slip under their radars. There is a debris field located here, the remains of the Empire's ill-fated 'Death Star'." He pointed a finger, and the hologram pinged to life an extensive debris field that had collected around the moon. "Scans show the debris is unstable. We will use this to our advantage, appear to be just yet another piece of debris."
With a flicker, the Hologram reverted back to the Compound view. There was one entrace, protected by a single Heavy Blaster emplacement and several armed guards. A shield covered the compound from aeriel attacks. "Mako, Nekar, Crii - you will lead the frontal assault with the Troopers. They have been granted several rocket launchers to cripple the compound's defenses. From there, you will storm the gates and create a bloody distraction. Myself, Kairon and Tayla will move into the rear, scaling the perimeter wall while the Republic Savages are distracted. We will confront what guards remain inside and cripple their communications and shields. Then Yavin will fall. Our Conquest would be assured. Neeyab will be ready to pick us up, should there be any problems."
He grinned, a sadistic maniacle grin. It was a brilliant plan, really - but it would look much more impressive in person, he was sure of it. Today would go down in galactic history. Malrius' name would be echoed throughout the stars. Revered, feared, glorified. That without Yavin, and the powers hidden in its depths. Powers Malrius will have first claim to. Crii wouldn't mind, surely.
"I trust you'll have questions?"
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Salvahkiin
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My Siren's name is Brick, and she is the prettiest.
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Post by Salvahkiin on Apr 11, 2015 21:44:34 GMT -5
Mako stepped away, further from Malrius, to allow his master some space to greet his guest. This Lord was rather friendly, for a Sith Lord. Then again, Mako could only remember the attitude of two Lords, but he always envisioned the Sith Lords of old to be fierce, and commanding. The type of person Mako wanted to be.
"We were just about to discuss the plans I have been forwarded."
"My Apprentices. It is time to claim your destiny." With a wave of his master's hand, the holoprojector embedded into the table sprung into action. Before them was a great planet, with smaller moons rotating around it. It zoomed forward, following the trajectory that would be taken by the Dromund's Fist. "This task has fallen to our feet, my apprentices, for we are the best the Sith have to offer. Let all know of your actions this day, for this will be the turning point of the Galaxy. This, is Yavin-4. You may know its recent history amongst the Lesser Empire and the Rebellious scum that broke its back. But, my apprentices, Yavin was once part of the Sith Empire of Old."
Images flashed onto the holoprojector, great temples that rivaled those on Korriban and Dromund Kaas. "Untapped potential lies within. Secrets that have not been exploited since the days of Darth Bane and his bastardised Rule of Two." Malrius snarled at the name, a powerful Sith who diluted the Order to suit his own goals. "This is our goal, the goal of the Sith. With the secrets hidden beneath these ruins we will free the Galaxy of its chains!"
He raised a fist in mock triumph, and in response the Hologram shifted to show the basic blueprints of a Republic Communications Array - the large dish a major give away. Malrius dropped his fist onto the table, the harsh crash causing the hologram to stutter. "This is our target, my Apprentices. We will blind the Republic scum that hold this planet captive, deafen their ears and silence their cries when the Reclaimation Fleet catches up to finish the job we begin!"
The hologram zoomed out from the compound, showing a dotted-line trajectory that the Phantom Pain would follow. "Using the Pain's stealth engines, we are going to slip under their radars. There is a debris field located here, the remains of the Empire's ill-fated 'Death Star'." He pointed a finger, and the hologram pinged to life an extensive debris field that had collected around the moon. "Scans show the debris is unstable. We will use this to our advantage, appear to be just yet another piece of debris."
With a flicker, the Hologram reverted back to the Compound view. There was one entrace, protected by a single Heavy Blaster emplacement and several armed guards. A shield covered the compound from aeriel attacks. "Mako, Nekar, Crii - you will lead the frontal assault with the Troopers. They have been granted several rocket launchers to cripple the compound's defenses. From there, you will storm the gates and create a bloody distraction. Myself, Kairon and Tayla will move into the rear, scaling the perimeter wall while the Republic Savages are distracted. We will confront what guards remain inside and cripple their communications and shields. Then Yavin will fall. Our Conquest would be assured. Neeyab will be ready to pick us up, should there be any problems."
"I trust you'll have questions?"
Mako did not. He knew his purpose in this mission. Break through the Republic lines, and destroy this array. With two Sith Lords, and himself, they were assured success.
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Post by Zenios on Apr 12, 2015 16:57:29 GMT -5
Kairon watched as another Sith he didn't recognize approached Malrius. He wasn't too familiar with Arcona, but was that a friendly smile on his face? That seemed horribly out of place among the Sith - and doubly so when Malrius returned it. His pale brow furrowed a bit at that, concealed though it was behind the mask. He'd seen Malrius act friendly or even kind before, but he'd assumed it had been an act; while it was certainly possible that this was too, there was no way to be sure. Maybe fighting this Arcona, gaining some insight on who he truly was as a person, would help shine some light on that. He mentally added this newcomer to the list of Sith he was interested in dueling, whether to the death or not. Truthfully, that list was growing pretty lengthy, maybe to the point where Kairon wouldn't be able or willing to meet every person on it.
The Echani tucked thoughts of that interaction away as Malrius began describing their battle plan in earnest, taking it all in and piecing together roughly how this would go. He rather appreciated the idea of assaulting a New Republic communications outpost and striking before the Reclamation Fleet proper; sneak attacks suited both his talents and interests rather well, especially when diversionary frontal assaults by Mako and Nek were also involved. Climbing wasn't exactly his forte, but it certainly beat trying to break himself on the front gates of a presumably well-defended compound. Maybe he could borrow or steal an ascension gun from somewhere.
The aftermath, exploring temples and tombs, didn't quite interest Kairon as much, given that Malrius would likely--and, perhaps, rightfully--take the greatest of the spoils for himself. It was what he'd done back on Korriban, and he saw no reason for that to change here.
He noted Mako was quiescent and, perhaps as usual, a little too willing to unquestioningly fill his role. He took that in with a bit of a mocking smile, relishing once again that he was free to make whatever expressions he wanted within a mask such as this. It felt claustrophobic and tight, but the positives certainly came close to balancing out the negatives. "Do we possess any intelligence on the New Republic forces stationed there? Composition, number, patrol schedules, that sort of thing?" Kairon asked. "And further, where will we be making our ascent?"
Every other portion of Malrius' plan was pretty well laid out, well covered enough to satisfy the Echani. He most likely wouldn't have been engaging these troops directly anyway, but it would have been nice to know. After all, he repeated an old mantra he'd heard somewhere, no battle plan survived first contact with the enemy.
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Post by Court Baron Butters on Apr 12, 2015 18:46:28 GMT -5
Crii chuckled to himself slightly as the apprentices watched his curious behavior, and the response given by Malrius. He'd seen these looks all to often before this, a queer eye was always cast upon him back at the academy, and it appeared as though there was no escaping that reality.
Crii listened intently to the instructions given, and was captivated by the view of the projectors, though there were a few issues with the plan, to Crii the fewer losses life they could have the better, and it seemed to him there was ample way to skim down on casualties. Beyond this though there was also the issue of republic retaliation while they are raiding the tombs.
The young apprentice Kairon also made an excellent point in his interjection, intelligence, and plans for the descent - and plans for evacuation, Crii thought to himself - would be quite crucial to this mission. Crii allowed for the Sith lord to finish replies to his apprentices, and then spoke up.
"Beyond just knowing our plans to descend to the moon, I would like to know just how it is we'll be getting off after this mess." Crii then put his hands down on the console in front of him, and looked directly at all of the apprentices in the room. "Additionally, it seems quite senseless to include a team to distract those in the front of the communications compound, with a bit of strategic finesse you and your team should be able to disable the relays without issue, leaving the other apprentices, and I a better outlet for our abilities elsewhere." He paused, and smiled, and then started back up after a moment of silence. "With their communications down, and the Sith reclamation fleet on their way to capture all of the major compounds of the republic, it seems as though our opponents will have no choice, but to surrender, and submit to our might."
Crii perked himself back up, and then turned towards Malrius, "Also, how will we be able to know whether or not the Republic will merely be sitting right outside of the tombs waiting for us after we go in? It seems like we will be quite blind to the goings on of the assault while inside." He was quite contempt in his words, and believed he covered all the holes in the plan he saw before him.
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ThreeDawg
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Voice of the Wastes
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Post by ThreeDawg on Apr 13, 2015 8:11:19 GMT -5
Malrius looked to his apprentices for questions. As always, Mako was willing to walk blind into the Terantatek cave - luckily, Kairon was the clever one. That's why he got him. His questions were reasonable, specifically about the intelligence on garrison forces. His question about ascending the walls was a little soft, though. They were Sith, if they were strong enough they could simply leap over the walls. He doubted his apprentices abilities, after all they were just that - apprentices. So he had acquired them some tools for the occasion. On the composition, he was still awaiting input from Intelligence. He glanced over to Tayla, do we have an answer for Kairon? She nodded her affirmation, and begun speaking herself. Malrius relaxed his demeanor, and focused his eyes on Yavin's projection - as if he didn't need to listen to her words.
"We have no information on patrols, Intelligence hasn't been monitoring enough yet. We do know the location our Master has chosen to scale the walls is rarely visited and that the frontal assault will have one Heavy Laser battery and six Republic Troopers at any time." She paused, momentarilly, as she scanned for some other data on her datapad. Malrius wasn't too worried about the Heavy Laser, he was sure Crii or one of his Apprentices would see to it that the Troopers they were bringing with them could dispatch it easily. Tayla continued, "Troopers inside the compound should rally out to the front gate, numbering some twenty to twenty-five, several of which seem to posses Heavy Repeating Blasters or similar weapons. Probes were dispatched but have struggled to see inside the relay itself, although we believe there may be one Jedi that frequents the area often."
Malrius himself interdicted here, holding a hand out for Tayla to quiet. "The Jedi is of no concern. He is most likely using the compound to explore nearby ruins, the information the probe relayed only had two occurances of his passing in the same number of Galactic Weeks, is that not correct?"
Tayla looked down to her pad, then nodded to her master. "That's right, Master, he shouldn't be present at the time of assault."
Nekar spoke now, for the first time, his voice was harsh and commanding - not unlike Malrius' own. "If he did show his face, we would crush him anyway my Lord!" He slammed his meaty fist down onto the table, shaking the projection a little.
Malrius frowned, yet smiled. "Save your anger for the Republic, Nekar - if you break my Projector, I'll see how a Twi'lek survives with only one Lekku." Nekar lowered his head, frowning under the chastising remark, he took a step back. "As for the ascent, The perimeter wall is no too high. Made specifically to keep native wildlife out and hostile eyes from spying inside. I myself will jump across the wall, Tayla is unable to perform such a feat of the Force yet so will take a Liquid Cable Launcher - Kairon, I shall leave how you wish to proceed with that up to you although know that we have some spares." He smiled at his apprentice, an innocent smile - although his eyes seemed to be mocking Kairon's doubt of his abilities.
When he had finished talking, none of his other apprentices seemed to have any questions. Then it was Crii's turn, however. He smiled at his fellow Sith Lord, although it was a lifeless smile - his eyes were almost a glare. Crii was a useful asset, but his insistence on sparing the lives of the Republic Troops was almost insultive to Malrius. He let him finish, though, and out of the corner of his eye he spotted Neeyab nodding to herself. The soft Apprentice approved of Crii's changes to the plan, she'd have to be taught the valuable lesson that she will only respect her Master's words - not another's - after this.
"Your words of finesse are true, Crii. Although I doubt the Republic's willingness to surrender, while they are weak and pitiful, their sense of duty is strong. The distraction caused by the frontal assault is vital, infiltrating the compound with full compliment in the interior would be... Unfavourable to us. They would fight 'till their last, if they didn't then the risk of Republic agents freeing them from our Trooper's grasps would be too high to warrent keeping them alive. I will, however, grant the concession of restraint to you Crii. If you can cripple or subdue any of the Republic, I will see that they are cared for by our Troopers after we have won the battle." In all truth, he and Crii probably knew, 'cared for' was another word for enslaved. The Sith needed more bodies for work, they were running drastically low on that front.
He turned to Neeyab, who shied away from his glance. "As for our extraction after this is over, Neeyab will remain with the Phantom Pain, once we have removed the threat of the Communications Relay and the Shield Generator with it she will be able to fly directly into the outpost and move us to our next destination." He turned back to Crii, now, answering his other point. "Which, with any luck, would be the aformentioned ruins of this world. I trust our Darths will have no more need to control us once the Reclaimation Fleet is in orbit. They should distract the Republic enough to pull any of their troops, which I doubt there are many, away from the entrances to these ruins."
He stopped, looking over his other apprentices for his final words. "I trust the Reclaimation Fleet enough to cover our descent into the ruins. A descent you will all benefit from, for knowledge I learn I will undoubtedly pass down to you - my Apprentices. For you are the future of the Sith Empire, you must be a strong one if you are to claim our rightful place as rulers of the Galaxy!"
Malrius believed he had answered all the questions, and stepped back (triumphantly, almost) from the holoprojector on the table. "Further questions can wait until we are under way. The time has come, Neeyab - go to your station and release us upon the unsuspecting fools of the Republic!"
Neeyab nodded, sharply, and almost ran out of his presence down to the cockpit. It was a mere few moments later, after a single communication to the Dromund's Fist's hanger control, that the vessel shuddered once and lifted away smoothly from the bay. Dozens of other ships soon joined them, although as they spread out into the cold expanse of space they disapeared from the Pain's radars - just as she herself was activating her own cloaking and electronic disturbance fields.
Malrius grinned, quite wickedly. The Invasion of Yavin had begun.
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Salvahkiin
Archer
My Siren's name is Brick, and she is the prettiest.
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Post by Salvahkiin on Apr 13, 2015 17:55:45 GMT -5
"We have no information on patrols, Intelligence hasn't been monitoring enough yet. We do know the location our Master has chosen to scale the walls is rarely visited and that the frontal assault will have one Heavy Laser battery and six Republic Troopers at any time."
"Easy enough."
"Troopers inside the compound should rally out to the front gate, numbering some twenty to twenty-five, several of which seem to posses Heavy Repeating Blasters or similar weapons. Probes were dispatched but have struggled to see inside the relay itself, although we believe there may be one Jedi that frequents the area often."
Mako's head raised up at the mention of a Jedi. Perhaps Mako would come across this Jedi, slay him, present his corpse as a prize for his Master. This is where his training has led him, the Jedi. They will all die by Mako's hand.
"The Jedi is of no concern. He is most likely using the compound to explore nearby ruins, the information the probe relayed only had two occurances of his passing in the same number of Galactic Weeks, is that not correct?"
"That's right, Master, he shouldn't be present at the time of assault."
"If he did show his face, we would crush him anyway my Lord!"
"Perhaps, with help." Mako smirked at Nekar. He doubted the Twi'lek's ability. He doubted his chances against a Jedi. Himself, however would fare well. It takes a well trained Jedi to defend against Juyo.
"Save your anger for the Republic, Nekar - if you break my Projector, I'll see how a Twi'lek survives with only one Lekku."
"As for the ascent, The perimeter wall is no too high. Made specifically to keep native wildlife out and hostile eyes from spying inside. I myself will jump across the wall, Tayla is unable to perform such a feat of the Force yet so will take a Liquid Cable Launcher - Kairon, I shall leave how you wish to proceed with that up to you although know that we have some spares."
Mako felt indifferent to this remark. Kairon was a good Sith, and Mako has had no quarrels with him. Perhaps quiet and reserved, but always planning ahead. A talent Mako seemed not to possess.
"With their communications down, and the Sith reclamation fleet on their way to capture all of the major compounds of the republic, it seems as though our opponents will have no choice, but to surrender, and submit to our might."
"Some should be executed. As a display, so none will attempt to resist later. The others, put to work."
Mako did not believe in showing mercy to those that stood against him. The Sith, however, did need slaves to do work that was under them. These Republic scum would serve will in that regard.
"As for our extraction after this is over, Neeyab will remain with the Phantom Pain, once we have removed the threat of the Communications Relay and the Shield Generator with it she will be able to fly directly into the outpost and move us to our next destination."
"Which, with any luck, would be the aformentioned ruins of this world. I trust our Darths will have no more need to control us once the Reclaimation Fleet is in orbit. They should distract the Republic enough to pull any of their troops, which I doubt there are many, away from the entrances to these ruins."
"I trust the Reclaimation Fleet enough to cover our descent into the ruins. A descent you will all benefit from, for knowledge I learn I will undoubtedly pass down to you - my Apprentices. For you are the future of the Sith Empire, you must be a strong one if you are to claim our rightful place as rulers of the Galaxy!"
Mako raised his head again, and nodded at his Lord. He almost smiled at this plan, a taste of blood, and crippling the Republic, stealing one of their worlds from under them.
"Further questions can wait until we are under way. The time has come, Neeyab - go to your station and release us upon the unsuspecting fools of the Republic!"
Mako walked back to the Apprentices' room, and sat down on the bed. The invasion of Yavin 4 was about to begin. This is where Mako would prove himself to his Lord, prove himself to the Sith, bring glory to them. It was time to kill.
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Post by Zenios on Apr 14, 2015 16:35:44 GMT -5
Kairon allowed himself more than a small smile when he noticed Mako smirk at Nek. He thought it quite cute that one of them thought himself better than the other, and that the reverse was likely just as true. Neither was more than an akk dog; they were just pets meant to follow their master's every whim. The interplay between them would do nothing but distract and weaken both, perhaps hasten their downfall and prevent them from noting or reacting to Kairon's descent. He would have to be sure to feed that, if the opportunity arose; it just wouldn't do for one of them to be distracted too much from that little game.
The mocking look in Malrius' eyes as he addressed Kairon, however, was something the Echani took with far less levity. The smile on his face morphed into an indignant frown, but he took it without allowing any more than that. He'd simply assumed that the compound's walls might have been too high to leap, too sheer to climb by hand, and simply looking to make the necessary preparations before Malrius had given him that look. His Master had always been something of a kindred spirit, but he lacked the... enthusiasm for preparation Kairon possessed.
He was almost grateful when Malrius as much declared the briefing over as walked away. He could feel his annoyance at that look building somewhat, and in that sharpened mental state it threatened to put him over the edge, to force him to lose control. That, he couldn't afford. His control, that sharpened state of mind, was what made him who he was--it was what made him better than Malrius' other apprentices, especially the akk dogs. Without that, he was no better than Mako or the other nek - and he couldn't afford to simply be their equals on a day such as this. He had to be better, had to be himself, had to be in control.
For his part, he stepped away from the holoprojector to further meditate, to resharpen his mind. A spot along one of the walls in that general area would do; he'd noted Mako hurry off to the apprentices' sleeping area, and being aware the other apprentice was that close would only annoy him, throw him off further. Anger was like a spark; it was certainly a good thing, a tool to be used to burn others. Rage, on the other hand, was more like a wildfire, impossible to control properly and mostly useless. It wouldn't do well to let himself spiral out of hand, into uselessness, in the next few minutes. He was better than Mako, better than to let himself risk losing it like that.
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Post by Court Baron Butters on Apr 18, 2015 21:16:59 GMT -5
Though slightly condescending in nature, Malrius' response to Crii's was a satisfactory one. He bowed his head slightly, and then walked backward for a moment. Crii contemplated to the side for a moment, although he would prefer his original tweak to the plan, there would be no persuading Malrius, and tension between the two would only cause further grief for Crii, the two had talked of assisting each other in the assassinations of their respective Darths, and this step would be quite necessary for Crii.
It seemed however that there was at least -some- dissension among Malrius' ranks. Crii couldn't help but notice out of the corner of his eye, the slight nod out of Malrius apprentice Neeyab, though he didn't know her name. She wasn't the only apprentice that caught Crii's eye, and it was important to note them. He new it only takes a little prodding to turn a small group of dissenters, into full on revolutionaries, and Crii was always excited to take on more apostles.
Crii moved his robe to show his saber, and brushed some of the dust off of it, he chuckled to himself, it had been a few weeks since he last had an actual fight, and he was itching to exercise his skills, today would be more than just the fall of Yavin, and the rise of the new Empire. Today would be the first day of a new era for Crii's life, now that he was once again in contact with Malrius they could begin scheming against their Darths, and this added bonus of a small entourage.
The other apprentice that caught Crii's eyes was the young Kairon, the one who actually spoke up. Within his more calm demeanor may lie the seeds of love, passion, desire, euphoria - a proverbial bouquet of TRUE dark side energy.
Their little meeting appeared to be over, and Crii noted as the young apprentice (Kairon) walked off alone, he headed towards his direction, and gave the other apprentice (Neeyab) a welcoming smile as he passed her. As he passed her watched also watched the young apprentice known as Mako nearly sprint down the hall to his own quarters, he smirked, and shook his head, there was too much energy in that one, such potential energy clogged up in a such a small package merely leaked out, and when let loose would simply ooze rage, hate, and possibly dejection. He continued his trot towards Kairon, and lumbered over the figure who was basically just a child.
"Your observations were quite critical in their nature, I applaud you." Crii reached out his large three pronged hand, and smiled, "My name is Crii," to continue he prodded. "I'm curious, with one like you... How do you channel your energy when on missions like these? I see little natural aggression spurring from you." His head twisted towards the direction Mako ran off into. "Quite unlike your fellow apprentice."
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ThreeDawg
Administrator
Voice of the Wastes
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Post by ThreeDawg on Apr 22, 2015 19:12:36 GMT -5
Nekab had slunk back, brooding in his rage. How dare Malrius lower him so infront of this rival Lord. How dare he show him up infront of all the other apprentices. With twitching Lekku, he stormed off from the central area at Malrius' approval and thumped down the stairs towards the under-slung garage. Two rooms split off from it, and he entered the one with a wide ring in the middle - the larger of the two. It was a sparring area, where Nekab had recieved (and delivered) many brutal beatings at the hands of Malrius (and the other apprentices). He reached to his side and pulled forth his double-bladed lightsaber. Igniting it, he set about using his anger to hone his martial skills.
If he was to wipe that smile off'f Malrius filthy face he'd have to practice.
The Chiss, Tayla, watched warily as the Arconan approached Neeyab. She observed, quite closely, her response to the alien. She seemed to smile back, accepting his apparant kindness with welcome and - she frowned, sickened - seemed to return the gesture. When Crii had moved on to Kairon, Tayla approached the Miraluka. With a snarl on her face she punched a finger into her chest, causing the Miraluka to jerk backwards. She kept her voice quiet, so the Arconan wouldn't hear, but didn't attempt to hide her assault from her Master or even Kairon. "Do not think yourself so above a Sith Lord, Hound!" She practically spat the words out, "To smile at your superior as if they were a friend. To show such weak actions as being friendly?" She prodded again, this time far harder, Neeyab was baited - a grim line setting on her face. "I shall see to it our Master thrashes you for this, Whelp!"
Neeyab was shocked to see the Arconan acting so cordially with Malrius, she was shocked that he called him friend. She was shocked that he smiled at her. She was the lowest of the low, she didn't even deserve the name Sith. She was little more than a toy for her Master and his Apprentices. Tayla, specifically, enjoyed taking her frustrations out on Neeyab. She'd grown used to it. The bullying, the attacks, the anger. She'd tried to fight back at first, then she just accepted them. When Malrius told her to fight back, she would - but only because it was better to face the wrath of Tayla (or Kairon, Nekab or Mako) than Malrius. She'd learnt that enough times. But this Arconan, Crii, had smiled at her. It was a respect she only got from non-Sith, she'd never expected it from one above her station. So when Tayla came over and started harassing her about the situation, she retreated back into her pen of fear. Although, she wasn't so alone in there anymore. There was a ray of hope, that one day she could shove a lightsaber into Tayla's red eye.
Malrius smiled a grim smile as his apprentices scattered to the wind. In all honesty, for his egotistical rant about birthing a New Sith Empire he was... Tired. It had suddenly washed over him, like a tidal wave. He didn't know if it was some fatigue from travel, or from impatience to continue with the hunt. But he felt... Weak. Fear set in, although he didn't show it. The unnatural nature of the fatigue frightened him. It wasn't often he got frightened. He briskly passed by Tayla and Neeyab, ignoring their confrontation. He gave nought but a curt nod to Crii as he passed him, too, on his way to his private chambers. He would spend the rest of the trip there, in silent meditation. As was customary, he locked the blast door on his entry. His room was a simple affair, although he had embellished it with a number of Sith artifacts. Primarilly of the ancient variety, found on Korriban. Useless trinkets like and a single staff with a blade on it. A holocron, a shade of purple that seemed to darken into nothingness at its center, sat alone on a shelf. But that was not his destination, for another wave of fatigue rushed across him.
He stumbled, staggering to the floor and fell short of his bed. He muffled a curse and dragged himself up and onto the double bunk. His breathing deepened. He could hear his own pulse in his ears. Then they begun to ring. His vision faltered. He collapsed.
It was ancient. By all accounts he'd never seen anything like it, not even Korriban held the majesty of this place.
A great stone building, hiding a metal compound.
Its doors sealed shut, but cracking its surface - a great wreck jutting from the ground. A star destroyer, left abandoned for years - its hull burnt out and void of life. Forest had grown over it.
Yet no life stirred. Not even birds. For within...
Like an object passing the event horizon of black hole, the Darkness rushed ahead and consumed him completely.
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Salvahkiin
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My Siren's name is Brick, and she is the prettiest.
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Post by Salvahkiin on Apr 25, 2015 6:12:22 GMT -5
There was a disturbance in the force. Mako felt something, distress. It made him get up onto his feet, and move towards the door. When the door opened, he could hear yelling coming from down the hall. He quickened his pace down towards the yelling, and the steel door closed behind him.
Mako did not need to see the argument to know who it was between. Tayla and Neeyab. Of all the apprentices, Neeyab was the only one he felt somewhat sorry towards. He stopped a metre or so away from the center of their conversation, making his presence known.
"I shall see to it our Master thrashes you for this, Whelp!"
"Would you like a thrashing, Tayla? I can give you another, if you do not leave Neeyab alone."
She turns to face him, shock and disgust on her face. "Suddenly standing up for the pet, Mako? I'm surprised you aren't punching a hole in the hull of the ship or something equally as stupid."
Mako let out a small, deep growl. He found his hands clenching into fists. "It won't be the hull in a second."
She pursed her lips together, clearing her face of all emotion. "I'll leave her to your devices then, Mako. But the Master will hear of this... Undermining... Of his training regime for..." She turned to Neeyab, practically spitting her words out. "This pathetic excuse for a Force User." She gave Mako one good last frown before storming off towards the living quarters.
Mako chuckled. He took a deep breath. Malrius told him to, whenever he needed to curb his anger, breathing. He turned to Neeyab. "Are you okay?"
She looks up to him, a quizzical look briefly flashing across her face. It goes as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a passive expression. "I am fine. The Chiss's threats were empty, anyway."
Mako nodded, and walked away back to the living quarters. He noticed Tayla was also there. He had unfinished business with her, so he sat in the chair next to her bed, and spun the chair to face her.
"Why are we so hard on her?" he pauses for a moment. "I mean, we're all hard on each other, but her the most."
Tayla looks up from her datapad, a frown still etched on her face. "Because she's pathetic. She's weak. She wasn't trained on Korriban, she doesn't understand what it was like there. We're here to give her a taste of the academy."
Mako looked down in the ground, deep in thought. He had a tough time there, like all Sith, but lighter then quite a lot of them. He relished in combat, he suffered quite a deal of beatings at his lack of Force knowledge, however.
"Korriban chipped away the rough edges. Honed us into the most dangerous thing in the galaxy. I wonder why Master didn't send her to Korriban. She might go to another, I suppose. Weaker then us, yes. But she has her uses. Exactly like one perverted Chiss I know of."
Tayla laughed, she always acknowledged that part of herself. "Aren't we all a little perverted? That makes me normal. I doubt Master wanted her taken by another Sith. I doubt she'd even survive the academy, so it's best she stays with us and serves her purpose in the galaxy."
"Indeed."
Mako rose from the chair, and walked over to his and Kairon's side of the room, and placed his hands on his bunk, and shifted his weight onto them, lifting himself up. He shifted the weight forward, and sort of fell onto the bed.
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Post by Zenios on Apr 25, 2015 18:35:07 GMT -5
"Your observations were quite critical in their nature, I applaud you." Crii reached out his large three pronged hand, and smiled, "My name is Crii," to continue he prodded. "I'm curious, with one like you... How do you channel your energy when on missions like these? I see little natural aggression spurring from you." His head twisted towards the direction Mako ran off into. "Quite unlike your fellow apprentice."
Kairon's journey to that little spot was a brief one indeed; a few steps and he was there. As he turned around and began to kneel with his back to the wall, Kairon spotted the Arcona moving towards him and gave a little mental sigh. It was just one inconvenience after another. He wasn't especially interested in conversing as much as mentally preparing right now, but he probably owed an individual who was probably at least a Lord some shreds of courtesy. He continued to kneel anyway, back rigid and hands on his thighs, in the hopes that maybe the Arcona would see what he was doing and leave him to it.
To the Echani's utter lack of surprise, the Arcona Lord didn't deviate from his course at all. He stood again in order to greet his superior, or at least to acknowledge him properly. The hand Crii extended threw him off more than a little bit; he might have expected introductions, maybe a few questions or something of that sort, but a handshake? That was something he hadn't experienced in quite a long time, let alone when a Sith Lord was involved. How had this Arcona made it through Korriban with such a friendly demeanor? That had him furrowing his brow behind his mask.
A few more moments of hesitation passed before Kairon extended a gauntleted hand to shake Crii's. "I'm Kairon," he introduced himself, letting his hand fall to his side. He ignored the praise--he was the only one of the apprentices with the intelligence and willingness to speak up to poke holes in a plan anyway--but the question and potential dig at Mako held much more interest for him. The apprentice's brow furrowed a little more, wondering just what Crii was playing at. Did he think that perhaps Kairon was a poor Sith because he was more introverted than his fellow apprentice?
Despite the mental gymnastics, Kairon's only real physical response was to shrug. He did, however, have to take another second to consider how to describe his approach to the Force. "I tend to feel that needless destruction and aggression are rather wasteful," he replied after a moment. "There are better outlets for fury and rage than simply yelling and hitting things. I prefer to use that energy to accomplish my goals and focus much of that energy inward."
He wasn't entirely sure how accurate that description was, or whether or not it would satisfy the Arcona, but it was enough for Kairon and fairly close to the truth.
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